Our definition of good game is very different. Not better or worse, but certainly different.

Working on my pin. Then put it all back together and get ready to start a game. Then notice screwdriver under PF glass on ramp...ugh! Open it up, take tool out. Put back together and get ready to play. Then notice needle nose pliers by flipper...ugh! I am terrible at clean up!

Guess you better get to practicing instead of sending weird PM's.

Even worse, when you have to do a full code install when there's a new code release and it wipes out all the high scores.

When your wife routinely kicks your ass on your favorite machine.

Out of order pop bumper caps on Twilight Zone. I want to tell people to put them in the correct order whenever I see it, but it would be almost every single TZ picture posted online. Drives me up the wall, not sure if it's because I like everything to be nice and perfect or because it's such an easy fix.

To be or not to be. That is my pet peeve. The shorthand phrase "needs shopped" needs a Shakespearean intervention. Whenever I read "needs shopped," I wonder where I'll find a reliable time machine to travel to the past to accomplish the task. Since we mean to say that the game needs TO BE shopped, why don't we say what we mean? And while I'm on the topic of grammar, for the love of pinball, the word "it's" is NOT POSSESSIVE. The word "it's" means "it is." (e.g. "It's such an easy fix." See correct usage in post #159 above). The word "its" sans apostrophe is the possessive form. (e.g. Fathom is a fun game. Its backglass art, by Greg Freres, is among his best work.) Okay. . .there, I've said it. It's time for a beer.

Inviting friends over to see your collection and having multiple games break during their short visit.

Marc

...thinking that all pinball people that share your love of the hobby are fun to be around, and then realizing that you were wrong.

At shows, people who have no idea of game etiquette. Generally people form a line and play 1 game, then the next person gets a go. There is always that 1 person though who either starts a 4 player game or just keeps playing. Mate its f**king obvious im standing behind you waiting for a go, get off the game!!!

Why do guys play 4 player games by them self? I find that odd and especially annoying when I want to play. Games should have facial recognition and ban you from the game if you do that lol.

A-list games that aren't taken care of and left to rot!

...and then getting abused by said friends for spending so much money on a "piece of junk."

Not seeing them around anymore. The mall, grocery stores, laundry mats etc.

The wiring harness on them! Really? Was there not a more simple way? Modules? Localized nodes? Hershey that technology was around and at cheap prices in the 90s. Device net I/o would have been better IMO.!!!

ANY games not taken care of and left to rot.

Colored LED's for GI's and backboxes

Super bands.

all those things suck.

Otherwise great games that capture the ball and make you play mini-games in the DMD, like GNR, JY, and CV.

I want to play pinball, not shoot toast, ride a motorcycle, or jump over things.

Putting the glass and lockdown bar back on and closing the coin door only to realize the balls are still sitting on the game next to it! I've done it 1000 times!

Thats funny. Me too.

My biggest pet peeve would have to be the limited amount of replacement pinball parts that are available.

you think it's bad now, you should have seen it 12 years ago. Now is a gift.

Having to drive six hours for the opportunity to even look at a machine I'm considering buying.

That I didn't start my collection fifteen years ago.

In pinball leagues, guys that constantly whine about losing. There is always something - "machine isn't perfect," "I no more about pinball rules but you still beat me." Jeez...just shut up and play.

I liked when I competed at Pinburgh, and guys had a hard-on about where they went in the playing order. Nobody wanted to go last. So I went last. Who gives a shit if you suck first or suck last?

I see that, and I raise you: ...and having to order from seven different vendors to get the parts you need.

People who know nothing about pins go and look up a way overpriced pin on Ebay and try to sell some average or below conditioned game for 2-4 x's its worth on CL. Especially if it's a game I would be interested in if selling for a reasonable price given condition and the fair market value for that pin. And when the pin has lots of issues but they think it's gold...forget it!
Or the infamous "it's not working could be a fuse." Well try placing a fuse in the darn game! If you don't know how, that's what Youtube is for! Exceptions made for persons who have no tech no know, inherited the game and are afraid they'll blow the pin up and importantly are willing to be flexible on price. If it turns out it truly was just a fuse I'll be willing to be flexible too. I'm not out to screw people.
Did this recently. One problem with a pin. Think it's an easy and quick fix, mess up and create more complex problems much worse than the original issue, costing time, $, and can't play the pin. After 8-9 years in this hobby I'd think this wouldn't happen anymore. Especially hate this with board issues!
Last-- threads and conversations re: pinball (and other topics) that start off informative on Pinside, RGP and other places but degrade into yelling, cussing and people taking things overly seriously and personally. For me it's "just" a hobby and not worth some of the angst and serious arguing. I love Pinside and the informative info, fun, and almost all people here. But hate some of the keyboard bullying that sometimes happens on almost all forums, not just here although it's become worse here over the years.
Still, a great hobby even with the peeves!

Rampant Pinflation

Yes way too much of that!

People who press start, play a ball, get bored, and walk away with ball 2 (or 3) in the plunger lane with the game waiting to continue.

OR people who press the start button at shows 2, 3, or 4 times and start multiplayer games by themselves to play the game longer.

Or kids who press the start button 10 times, get bored after ball 4, and forces you to turn the game off and on to reset the game again.

True story: a relative of mine would play my games, would finish the game, then as he would be walking away, he would press the start button again. If I wasn't around following him to reboot the games, every game would be stuck on ball 1. He was 17!! God what a pain he is. I knew he was doing it on purpose too. He's definitely a budding sociopath.

1) Route games not maintained. Nothing is more annoying than a game with things that aren't working right.
2) People who press both flipper buttons at the same time all the time
3) People who start a game and then just walk away half done
4) People who don't understand the start button and keep pressing it starting more games than they intended

Worse. The ones who do this repeatedly when the ball isn't even near the flippers!

Chimp Flipping!

Funny I have a guy that hates this more than anything and I always give him shit aboot it; I mean it's annoying but not the end of the world. I then had 4 nieces & nephews spend the day at my house and one by one my games started to have flipper problems.

Wow, that was actually pretty deep... makes you think maybe that's why we all keep playing. We want to live!

Flip or Die!

Putting the glass back on to see that the balls are still sitting on the game next to it!

Seeing games that owners have had for years and there is no tilt bob in the machine!

People that stand way too close to you to watch you play.

The prices are insane these days. I paid 1400.00 for a cherry ST TNG 15 years ago... its easily worth 3-4 times that now.

ouch

Too many pinheads in this hobby!

Hey! I resemble that remark

The dreaded Double Flipper Fool.

This happened to a friend of mine actually, a collector sold a pin to him but kept the original manual for it and wanted extra cash to let it go!

Wtf its an manual thats ben with the game since factory, should be laws against such behaviour.

Also, prices, i know lots of non-pinballhobbyist people that want to get a pin around here, and come asking me, but they always balk when they hear the price levels.

Hate meticulously cleaning my playfield glasses only to see hand prints before my first game when friends come over.

Even worse, I have one buddy that tries to place his beer bottle on the playfield glass of the machine next to him when it's his turn to play!!! I almost have a heart attack every time and even bought beverage caddys for every machine yet I still have to remind him.

Poorly maintained games on route. That's mine. I get a little excited each time I walk into some place like a restaurant bar or family entertainment center where there is a pin. I walk up, put in the money and ....

Half the lights are dead
Dried and broken or just missing rubbers
Ball missing and tight tilt
etc...

100 percent agree. Would love a mirror attached to back glass so the jerk can see who's behind em. Probably wouldn't help.
Warning then a polite taser perhaps?

At California Extreme this year somebody put little flyers on all the popular machines with a picture of a pig and the some text like "Don't be a hog, share the machines".

It was my first pin expo and I saw all the bad stereotypes. Still had lots of fun and only a few people were clueless twats.